Tuesday, December 24, 2019
The Secret Of Their Eyes By Campanella Gave Me Feelings Of...
Though more than likely unintended, this movie ââ¬Å"The Secret in Their Eyesâ⬠directed by Campanella gave me feelings of dread and despair the likes of which of have felt few other times in my life and left me with a relief and further acceptance of my dependence on God. First though I will discuss the local political themes expressed in the movie. As a foreign observer unaware of Argentinaââ¬â¢s history or political climate, I was unable to pick up on the local subtleties of the film. Which after some digging perfectly matched up with fall into political violence proceeding the death of Argentine president Juan Peron. After the investigatorââ¬â¢s that had a false confession beat out of a couple of suspects are reprimanded and punished the corruption and increasing moral decay mirrors that which faced Argentina. During this time of political violence and oppression as well as the ââ¬Å"dirtyâ⬠wars former criminals such as the murderer in the movie were pardoned a nd employed by the security service. The theme of gazing which is very prevalent throughout the movie. Another theme I will address is the beating down of and the undermining of machismo. Lastly past the political and societal themes I will discuss the impression this movie left on me. The theme of undermining machismo is prevalent and blunt throughout the movie. A theme that an Argentinian audience would have recognized much more easily than an American audience. The hero of the story Benjamin is ruthlessly beaten down to the
Monday, December 16, 2019
Teachers Being Obliged to Teach Morality Free Essays
Teachers are obliged to develop childrenââ¬â¢s morality as a part of their education. Children observe and informally learn life skills from an array of sources throughout their lifetime; these influences can affect the physical, cognitive and social-emotional aspects of a childââ¬â¢s development. The standards of a childââ¬â¢s morals are predominantly shaped by the morals of those around them such as peers, adults and teachers; this in many cases can prove undamaging, however some may unintentionally adopt a preconventional morality. We will write a custom essay sample on Teachers Being Obliged to Teach Morality or any similar topic only for you Order Now In order to prevent undesirable moral traits within a child should it be the obligation of their teachers to educate the children in an internal behavioural context? Will this solve the issue? Social theologistââ¬â¢s propose that mental and moral standards have no objective reality, they are derived from ones subjective opinion (Miller, 2007). However it is also argued that a childââ¬â¢s environment is directly linked to changes in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, subsequently affecting the childââ¬â¢s cognitive mental development (Hansen, 2012). It can be justified to say that children can and will be affected morally by their surroundings, conversely the degree of impact will be determined by the childââ¬â¢s internal response. The process of moral advancement is linked to an individualââ¬â¢s three developmental domains, physical, cognitive and social-emotional; all of these domains are interrelated among each other and in some way represented within the educational curriculum (McDevitt, 2004). Physical abilities, neurological capabilities and the acquisition of motor skills are all taught and practiced throughout schooling, the obligation teachers have in assisting physical development manifests into an appropriate platform for moral development within the other two domains. Children begin to conceptualise abstract and analytical thought patterns as they learn and follow their teacherââ¬â¢s rules which differ from their social and home rubrics. According to Piaget (1932) children at their earliest stages of moral development begin to analyse behaviours based on the resulting consequences (McDevitt, 2013). Kohlbergââ¬â¢s theory of moral development, where a childââ¬â¢s moral fortitude is defined by what they believe is emotionally right or wrong (McDevitt, 2013), poses as another form of moral evolution. At school, these two forms of moral development arise from teachers whom are individually obligated to teach their students a broad range of moral behaviours and base their teaching on their own moral values; however this creates room for error and discrimination. The obligations some teachers have to educate students on morals is both self-motivated and an honourable attribute, teachers within the public schooling system however have a fine line they must abide by. Religion, is banned in the public school curriculum by the Board of Studies, many people such as Humanists have the perspective that in order to guide children in establishing ââ¬Ëproperââ¬â¢ morals one must reference a form of religion, whether it be directly or indirectly, however if it creates a happier, healthier child by all means teach moral education in school (Schafersman, 1991). Liberals see the education of morals and ethics to children not as a means of teaching and developing children socially and emotionally, but as a manifestation of religious views (Miller, 2007). This idea is not unfair, many parents have a range of views they predict superior to the idea of religion and any link to it. These restrictions nevertheless must coincide with a teacherââ¬â¢s code of conduct, the anti-religion extremist must understand the difference, and teachers should not have to ignore any moral transgressions by a child. Many parents of young children aged from 4-7 years old, which is when they first start to understand moral and immoral behaviour(2012, 09), can find themselves too busy to instil their own morals and ethics onto their children and rely solely on their childââ¬â¢s other surrounding attributes to provide the developmental avenues necessary. Children who are not taught morals and appropriate behaviour prove to be more disruptive within a class setting (McDevitt, 2013). In these circumstances a child may struggle to develop socially and emotionally. A teacher educating morals will never replace a parent, however if the child is not receiving an ample amount of moral education at home, perhaps it is in the best interest of the parent, teacher and child if they were taught some moral standards at school. An obligated teacher, before enforcing moral standards, must assess a childââ¬â¢s physical, social-emotional and cognitive domains as there is a great diversity within each childââ¬â¢s moral development. Identify family conditions such as family structure, cultural background, family livelihood, parenting styles, disruptive influences and maltreatment (McDevitt, 2013). Gender also plays a role in moral diversity, females are more likely to inherit a care orientation, whilst males are more justice orientated (McDevitt, 2013). Different ethnicities too have varying understandings on what is right, and what is wrong. A childââ¬â¢s exposure to moral disputes and crisis beyond their years will have a great impact on their overall development, in these cases it is applauded for a teacher to feel obliged to not teach, but help a child through a moral issue. Children grow and adapt to their surroundings, they take moral values from all avenues and mould them to coincide within their own lifestyle, and therefore a teacher should feel obliged to contribute a level of moral fortitude, depending on the childââ¬â¢s circumstances. A teacher may encourage morals indirectly by creating learning and social groups for children with a preconventional morality, this enhances their social-emotional development giving the pupil more peers to converse and follow suit (Bredekamp, 2009). A teacher may enforce moral standards cognitively if they believe the child is bullying or acting in a hostile manner. When a child is growing it can be a very fragile process, any altercations to a single progressive domain may throw off the entire balance, as all the developmental domains are similarly linked. Schooling systems are created to assist a child to develop and learn in an environment that appeals to a childââ¬â¢s every growing need, according to the Board of Studies. For an institution to advertise this degree of growth in a child it must have teachers going above and beyond the curriculum to impel children to mature and understand societal transgressions as well as the standard schooling subjects. Children will learn from teachers, teachers are seen as a source of information, they are the hierarchy outside of home, and they are interpreted as unquestionable (Daniels, 2002). If a teacher can use his or hersââ¬â¢ authority, with an educated opinion as to the childââ¬â¢s stability within its three domains, and help children advance their moral standards, then the teacher should welcomely feel obliged to educate morality, without scrutiny. (1,080 words) References Dave Miller. Canââ¬â¢t Teach Morals in School, Scholarly Blog. 2007. D. H. Daniels, L. Shumow. Child development and classroom teaching: a review of the literature and implications for educating teachers, 2002. J. L. Hansen, M. K. Chung, B. B. Avants, K. D. Rudolph, E. A,Shirtcliff, J. C. Gee, R. J. Davidson, S. D. Pollak. Structural variations in prefrontal cortex mediate the relationship between early childhood stress and spatial working memory. Journal of Neuroscience, 2012. Steven D. Schafersman, TEACHING MORALS AND VALUES IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: A HUMANIST PERSPECTIVE, 1991 S. Bredekamp, C. Copple. Appropreate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, 2009 T. McDevitt, J. Ormrod. Child development: educating and working with children and adolescents (2nd ed), 2004. T. McDevitt, J. Ormrod, G. Cupit, M. Chandler, V. Aloa. Child Development and Education. 2013. 2012, 09. Moral Development. www. StudyMode. com. How to cite Teachers Being Obliged to Teach Morality, Essay examples Teachers Being Obliged to Teach Morality Free Essays Teachers are obliged to develop childrenââ¬â¢s morality as a part of their education. Children observe and informally learn life skills from an array of sources throughout their lifetime; these influences can affect the physical, cognitive and social-emotional aspects of a childââ¬â¢s development. The standards of a childââ¬â¢s morals are predominantly shaped by the morals of those around them such as peers, adults and teachers; this in many cases can prove undamaging, however some may unintentionally adopt a preconventional morality. We will write a custom essay sample on Teachers Being Obliged to Teach Morality or any similar topic only for you Order Now In order to prevent undesirable moral traits within a child should it be the obligation of their teachers to educate the children in an internal behavioural context? Will this solve the issue? Social theologistââ¬â¢s propose that mental and moral standards have no objective reality, they are derived from ones subjective opinion (Miller, 2007). However it is also argued that a childââ¬â¢s environment is directly linked to changes in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, subsequently affecting the childââ¬â¢s cognitive mental development (Hansen, 2012). Teacher Cadet Essay iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src="https://phdessay.com/teacher-cadet-essay/embed/#?secret=66BopdUt3K" data-secret="66BopdUt3K" width="500" height="282" title="#8220;Teacher Cadet Essay#8221; #8212; Free Essays - PhDessay.com" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"/iframe It can be justified to say that children can and will be affected morally by their surroundings, conversely the degree of impact will be determined by the childââ¬â¢s internal response. The process of moral advancement is linked to an individualââ¬â¢s three developmental domains, physical, cognitive and social-emotional; all of these domains are interrelated among each other and in some way represented within the educational curriculum (McDevitt, 2004). Physical abilities, neurological capabilities and the acquisition of motor skills are all taught and practiced throughout schooling, the obligation teachers have in assisting physical development manifests into an appropriate platform for moral development within the other two domains. Children begin to conceptualise abstract and analytical thought patterns as they learn and follow their teacherââ¬â¢s rules which differ from their social and home rubrics. According to Piaget (1932) children at their earliest stages of moral development begin to analyse behaviours based on the resulting consequences (McDevitt, 2013). Kohlbergââ¬â¢s theory of moral development, where a childââ¬â¢s moral fortitude is defined by what they believe is emotionally right or wrong (McDevitt, 2013), poses as another form of moral evolution. At school, these two forms of moral development arise from teachers whom are individually obligated to teach their students a broad range of moral behaviours and base their teaching on their own moral values; however this creates room for error and discrimination. The obligations some teachers have to educate students on morals is both self-motivated and an honourable attribute, teachers within the public schooling system however have a fine line they must abide by. Religion, is banned in the public school curriculum by the Board of Studies, many people such as Humanists have the perspective that in order to guide children in establishing ââ¬Ëproperââ¬â¢ morals one must reference a form of religion, whether it be directly or indirectly, however if it creates a happier, healthier child by all means teach moral education in school (Schafersman, 1991). Liberals see the education of morals and ethics to children not as a means of teaching and developing children socially and emotionally, but as a manifestation of religious views (Miller, 2007). This idea is not unfair, many parents have a range of views they predict superior to the idea of religion and any link to it. These restrictions nevertheless must coincide with a teacherââ¬â¢s code of conduct, the anti-religion extremist must understand the difference, and teachers should not have to ignore any moral transgressions by a child. Many parents of young children aged from 4-7 years old, which is when they first start to understand moral and immoral behaviour(2012, 09), can find themselves too busy to instil their own morals and ethics onto their children and rely solely on their childââ¬â¢s other surrounding attributes to provide the developmental avenues necessary. Children who are not taught morals and appropriate behaviour prove to be more disruptive within a class setting (McDevitt, 2013). In these circumstances a child may struggle to develop socially and emotionally. A teacher educating morals will never replace a parent, however if the child is not receiving an ample amount of moral education at home, perhaps it is in the best interest of the parent, teacher and child if they were taught some moral standards at school. An obligated teacher, before enforcing moral standards, must assess a childââ¬â¢s physical, social-emotional and cognitive domains as there is a great diversity within each childââ¬â¢s moral development. Identify family conditions such as family structure, cultural background, family livelihood, parenting styles, disruptive influences and maltreatment (McDevitt, 2013). Gender also plays a role in moral diversity, females are more likely to inherit a care orientation, whilst males are more justice orientated (McDevitt, 2013). Different ethnicities too have varying understandings on what is right, and what is wrong. A childââ¬â¢s exposure to moral disputes and crisis beyond their years will have a great impact on their overall development, in these cases it is applauded for a teacher to feel obliged to not teach, but help a child through a moral issue. Children grow and adapt to their surroundings, they take moral values from all avenues and mould them to coincide within their own lifestyle, and therefore a teacher should feel obliged to contribute a level of moral fortitude, depending on the childââ¬â¢s circumstances. A teacher may encourage morals indirectly by creating learning and social groups for children with a preconventional morality, this enhances their social-emotional development giving the pupil more peers to converse and follow suit (Bredekamp, 2009). A teacher may enforce moral standards cognitively if they believe the child is bullying or acting in a hostile manner. When a child is growing it can be a very fragile process, any altercations to a single progressive domain may throw off the entire balance, as all the developmental domains are similarly linked. Schooling systems are created to assist a child to develop and learn in an environment that appeals to a childââ¬â¢s every growing need, according to the Board of Studies. For an institution to advertise this degree of growth in a child it must have teachers going above and beyond the curriculum to impel children to mature and understand societal transgressions as well as the standard schooling subjects. Children will learn from teachers, teachers are seen as a source of information, they are the hierarchy outside of home, and they are interpreted as unquestionable (Daniels, 2002). If a teacher can use his or hersââ¬â¢ authority, with an educated opinion as to the childââ¬â¢s stability within its three domains, and help children advance their moral standards, then the teacher should welcomely feel obliged to educate morality, without scrutiny. (1,080 words) References Dave Miller. Canââ¬â¢t Teach Morals in School, Scholarly Blog. 2007. D. H. Daniels, L. Shumow. Child development and classroom teaching: a review of the literature and implications for educating teachers, 2002. J. L. Hansen, M. K. Chung, B. B. Avants, K. D. Rudolph, E. A,Shirtcliff, J. C. Gee, R. J. Davidson, S. D. Pollak. Structural variations in prefrontal cortex mediate the relationship between early childhood stress and spatial working memory. Journal of Neuroscience, 2012. Steven D. Schafersman, TEACHING MORALS AND VALUES IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: A HUMANIST PERSPECTIVE, 1991 S. Bredekamp, C. Copple. Appropreate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, 2009 T. McDevitt, J. Ormrod. Child development: educating and working with children and adolescents (2nd ed), 2004. T. McDevitt, J. Ormrod, G. Cupit, M. Chandler, V. Aloa. Child Development and Education. 2013. 2012, 09. Moral Development. www. StudyMode. com. How to cite Teachers Being Obliged to Teach Morality, Papers
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Dealing With Difficult People Essay Example For Students
Dealing With Difficult People Essay Dealing With Difficult PeopleA griper or complainer is someone who is never satisfied until they get what they want or an answer to a question from a problem. If the question is not answered the way the customer wants it to be then they will just keep bothering you with other questions. Here is a Complainers Coping Plan that will help get someone to quit complaining or griping. Listen attentively. Acknowledge what they are saying. Do not agree with them. State and acknowledge facts. Try to get them in a problem-solving modeIf all else fails ask, How do you want this discussion to end?This is actually what goes on in my work environment while trying to get something accomplished. I work at JC Penneys and I hear griping all the time from other associates and definitely from customers. Even I gripe about how work does not get finished. My job is to bring out merchandise from the stockroom so I can hang them up on racks. Every morning after I clock in we have to get our bags so we can put our money in the registers. Right as I leave to get my cart from the stockroom a customer always has a return. It never fails that someone has to return. This customer wanted to return a pair of jeans without a receipt or tags. It is hard to explain to a customer our policy if she doesnt want to listen. I told her the policy was that if she wanted to return something she would have to have a receipt or the tags. She wanted me to call management since she knew someone that worked there. I call the operator and ask to see if there were any managers available. The operator told me that there was no one available until noon. I knew after I hung up the customer would not be happy. T he irritation arose when the customer said, Well I dont have until noon I want my money now! After telling her again that no one was available she was just standing there with her arms crossed wanting her money back. After a few minutes I finally decided to tell her that she can exchange it for the same thing she had. You arent supposed to do that but that was the only thing I could think of right then. That idea had worked. I could finally get her off my back and get on with my work. She went to get another pair of jeans. She wasnt happy with what she got but we both apologized for the mess and that was it. I finally made it to the stock room to get my cart. Most of the clothes I put out needs to have a security ink tag on the sleeve. The people who work in the stock room are supposed to hang and put one on each article of clothing. I can not take anything out of the stock room until they are hung right and ink tagged. I went over to the associate and asked her why they havent been ink tagged. She gave me a nasty look and said that I could do it. That part takes up to much time so I cant get my work finished. I told the lady I wasnt going to take out the cart until it was done right. There were about eight people working in the stockroom at the same time so you would figure the cart would be finished. Another lady decided to quit what she was doing to complete the job. While I was back out on the floor arranging for the clothes to all fit on the racks she brings the cart out to me instead of me having to go back there and get it for myself. She told me that the other girl that didnt do the tagging wasnt feeling to well and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible so that was why she didnt do it. I told her that I was mad or anything I just wanted to get this cart out so I could get another
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Survival Of The Fittest Essays - Herbert Spencer,
Survival Of The Fittest Survival of the Fittest Alas, Babylon, by Pat Frank, illustrates genuine examples of how superior creatures survive and the weaker perish. Those who sufficiently responded to this difficult challenge set before them were Randy Bragg, Dan Gunn, Alice Cooksey, and Florence Wechek. Those individuals who were unsuccessful with this devastating feat were Edgar Quisenberry, Bubba Offenhaus, Pete Hernandez, and Porky Logan. During this period those animals that become savage beasts and would do anything for food survived, while the animals that were controlled by humans did not. Randy Bragg is a natural leader and a quick thinker and he had his mind set that he was going to live even if he had to fight for his life. "We're going to have to be tough, we are going to have to be catfish" (Ch.7). The community's doctors had either been killed or vanished and Dan Gunn, now the only physician in Fort Repose, tried to help everyone who was sick and this made him survive because he knew the people of the community needed is capabilities. After being beaten by the highwaymen he shows how strong and how much will power to survive he had by walking miles to the Bragg household. Fort Repose's librarian, Alice Cooksey, had the strength to keep on living because she knew that the library was the only source of learning for the people and especially the children. "She felt fulfilled, even important" (Ch.8). Florence Wechek, "a guppy, a nice, drab little guppy " in the eyes of her pier Randy Bragg (Ch.7). The analysis made by Randy Bragg was correct in the sense that Florence relating to the guppy was willing to do what she had to serve the community and survive. The President of the Fort Repose Bank became a massive position after The Day. Edgar Quisenberry was a coward because he couldn't face the facts; he couldn't bare a world that didn't use any type of currency and he wouldn't allow himself to be humiliated so he committed suicide. " He had been a banker all his life and that was the way he was going to die, a banker" (Ch.5). Bubba Offenhaus, an egotistical man, was the Deputy Director of Civil Defense in the town. He gave all the Civil Defense pamphlets to the librarian because they took up to much space in his office and if they people could have seen these pamphlets they might have had a better chance to support themselves longer. Even though he didn't die he was a failure because he sat at home and did nothing but wait to die. After everything was sold in his grocery store Pete Hernandez had stored some supplies for him and his sister but, he was so greedy that he was happy about making ten dollars a pound for salt. " Ten dollars a pound for salt!?.. Ain't that something!" (Ch.7). Stupidity and greediness was Pete's downfall and wearing contaminated watches and other jewelry killed him. Porky Logan took everything he could out of a demolished jewelry store and sold some of the items to the Hernandez' for food and other items. His greediness killed him because he should have just sold all the jewelry, but he liked it so much he had to keep it. Animals and humans evolved at the same time during this time. The dogs of Fort Repose had become wolves and found and caught their prey any way conceivable. The cats are one of the few animals that did survive. "The house cat turns hunter" (Ch.7). The controlled animals put up less of a fight to survive. Anthony the pet bird failed to survive because the cat over powered the little bird. The evolutionary theory that only the strong survive stated in Darwin's Origin of Species is well focused throughout the novel. Those who survived knew they had to find the joy in this disaster, whereas the ones who did not survive wanted to give up and die. Many found their place in life and those who could not find it in life instead found it in death.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
The Control and Treatment of Chagas Disease essays
The Control and Treatment of Chagas Disease essays Chagas disease currently affects 16 million people and 100 million people are thought to be at risk of contracting the disease. Of these 16 million people, 30% will develop debilitating lesions that characterise the incurable form of the disease. It is responsible for an economic loss to the endemic countries of South America of at least 4 billion/year. This type of economical loss combined with the financial benefits of effective control means that trypanosomiasis control is very high on the agenda for Latin American governments. [1] Chagas disease has only recently been recognised as the most serious parasitic disease of the Americas; their social Southern Cone Initiative, was created and it is the organisation currently responsible for eliminating transmission of the parasite responsible for transmission. Figure 1 shows which are the Southern Cone Countries, and gives us a clue to how widespread the disease is. [2] Carlos Chagas, who discovered the disease in 1909, knew that; 1. People living in poor housing conditions were most likely going to suffer from the disease because; The disease is caused by a flagellate parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Its main vector is Triatoma infestans. Adults and larvae of the insects live in a domestic habitat and can be found assembled during daylight inside wall crevices in the house. They become active at night when going in search of their host. 2. ...the fundamental point for intervention would involve vector control. Clinical treatment of Chagas is difficult. How are we going to control a disease where no current vaccine exists? The WHO (World Health Organisation) believes that Chagas disease can be overcome via inte...
Friday, November 22, 2019
Peoples Republic of China Facts and History
Peoples Republic of China Facts and History The history of China reaches back over 4,000 years. In that time, China has created a culture rich in philosophy and the arts. China has seen the invention of amazing technologies such as silk, paper, gunpowder, and many other products. Over the millennia, China has fought hundreds of wars. It has conquered its neighbors, and been conquered by them in turn. Early Chinese explorers such as Admiral Zheng He sailed all the way to Africa; today, Chinas space program continues this tradition of exploration. This snapshot of the Peoples Republic of China today includes a necessarily brief scan of Chinas ancient heritage. Capital and Major Cities Capital: Beijing, population 11 million. Major Cities: Shanghai, population 15 million. Shenzhen, population 12 million. Guangzhou, population 7 million. Hong Kong, population 7 million. Dongguan, population 6.5 million. Tianjin, population 5 million. Government The Peoples Republic of China is a socialist republic ruled by a single party, the Communist Party of China. Power in the Peoples Republic is divided between the National Peoples Congress (NPC), the President, and the State Council. The NPC is the single legislative body, whose members are selected by the Communist Party. The State Council, headed by the Premier, is the administrative branch. The Peoples Liberation Army also wields considerable political power. The current President of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party is Xi Jinping. The Premier is Li Keqiang. Official Language The official language of the PRC is Mandarin, a tonal language in the Sino-Tibetan family. Within China, however, only about 53 percent of the population can communicate in Standard Mandarin. Other important languages in China include Wu, with 77 million speakers; Min, with 60 million; Cantonese, 56 million speakers; Jin, 45 million speakers; Xiang, 36 million; Hakka, 34 million; Gan, 29 million; Uighur, 7.4 million; Tibetan, 5.3 million; Hui, 3.2 million; and Ping, with 2 million speakers. Dozens of minority languages also exist in the PRC, including Kazakh, Miao, Sui, Korean, Lisu, Mongolian, Qiang, and Yi. Population China has the largest population of any country on Earth, with more than 1.35 billion people. The government has long been concerned about population growthà and introduced the One-Child Policy in 1979. Under this policy, families were limited to just one child. Couples who got pregnant for a second time faced forced abortions or sterilization. This policy was loosened in December of 2013 to allow couples to have two children if one or both of the parents were only children themselves. There are exceptions to the policy for ethnic minorities, as well. Rural Han Chinese families also have always been able to have a second child if the first is a girl or has disabilities. Religion Under the communist system, religion has been officially discouraged in China. Actual suppression has varied from one religion to another, and from year to year. Many Chinese are nominally Buddhist and/or Taoistà but dont practice regularly. People who self-identify as Buddhist total about 50 percent, overlapping with the 30 percent who are Taoist. Fourteen percent are atheists, four percent Christians, 1.5 percent Muslims, and tiny percentages are Hindu, Bon, or Falun Gong adherents. Most Chinese Buddhists follow Mahayana or Pure Land Buddhism, with smaller populations of Theravada and Tibetan Buddhists. Geography Chinas area is 9.5 to 9.8 million square kilometers; the discrepancy is due to border disputes with India. In either case, its size is second only to Russia in Asiaà and is either third or fourth in the world. China borders 14 countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Vietnam. From the worlds tallest mountain to the coast, and the Taklamakan desert to the jungles of Guilin, China includes diverse landforms. The highest point is Mt. Everest (Chomolungma) at 8,850 meters. The lowest is Turpan Pendi, at -154 meters. Climate As a result of its large area and various landforms, China includes climate zones from subarctic to tropical. Chinas northern province of Heilongjiang has average winter temperatures below freezing, with record lows of -30 degrees Celsius. Xinjiang, in the west, can reach nearly 50 degrees. Southern Hainan Island has a tropical monsoon climate. Average temperatures there range only from about 16 degrees Celsius in January to 29 in August. Hainan receives about 200 centimeters (79 inches) of rain annually. The western Taklamakan Desert receives only about 10 centimeters (4 inches) of rain and snow per year. Economy Over the past 25 years, China has had the fastest-growing major economy in the world, with annual growth of more than 10 percent. Nominally a socialist republic, since the 1970s the PRC has remade its economy into a capitalist powerhouse. Industry and agriculture are the largest sectors, producing more than 60 percent of Chinas GDP, and employing over 70 percent of the workforce. China exports $1.2 billion U.S. in consumer electronics, office machinery, and apparel, as well as some agricultural produce each year. The per capita GDP is $2,000. The official poverty rate is 10 percent. Chinas currency is the yuan renminbi. As of March 2014, $1 US 6.126 CNY. History of China Chinese historical records reach back into the realm of legend, 5,000 years ago. It is impossible to cover even the major events of this ancient culture in a short space, but here are some highlights. The first non-mythical dynasty to rule China was the Xia (2200- 1700 BCE), founded by Emperor Yu. It was succeeded by the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE), and then the Zhou Dynasty (1122-256 BCE). Historical records are scanty for these ancient dynastic times. In 221 BCE, Qin Shi Huangdi assumed the throne, conquering neighboring city-states, and unifying China. He founded the Qin Dynasty, which lasted only until 206 BCE. Today, he is best-known for his tomb complex in Xian (formerly Changan), which houses the incredible army of terracotta warriors. Qin Shi Huangs inept heir was overthrown by the army of commoner Liu Bang in 207 BCE. Liu then founded the Han Dynasty, which lasted until 220 CE. In the Han era, China expanded west as far as India, opening trade along what would later become the Silk Road. When the Han Empire collapsed in 220 CE, China was thrown into a period of anarchy and turmoil. For the next four centuries, dozens of kingdoms and fiefdoms competed for power. This era is called the Three Kingdoms, after the three most powerful of the rival realms (Wei, Shu, and Wu), but that is a gross simplification. By 589 CE, the Western branch of the Wei kings had accumulated enough wealth and power to defeat their rivalsà and unite China once more. The Sui Dynasty was founded by Wei general Yang Jianà and ruled until 618 CE. It built the legal, governmental, and societal framework for the powerful Tang Empire to follow. The Tang Dynasty was founded by a general called Li Yuan, who had the Sui emperor assassinated in 618. The Tang ruled from 618 to 907 CE, and Chinese art and culture flourished. At the end of the Tang, China descended into chaos again in the 5 Dynasties and 10 Kingdoms period. In 959, a palace guard named Zhao Kuangyin took power and defeated the other small kingdoms. He established the Song Dynasty (960-1279), known for its intricate bureaucracy and Confucian learning. In 1271, the Mongolian ruler Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis) established the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The Mongols subjugated other ethnic groups including the Han Chineseà and eventually were overthrown by the ethnic-Han Ming. China flowered again under the Ming (1368-1644), creating great art and exploring as far as Africa. The final Chinese dynasty, the Qing, ruled from 1644 to 1911, whenà theà Last Emperorà was overthrown.à Power struggles between warlords such as Sun Yat-Sen touched off the Chinese Civil War. Although the war was interrupted for a decade by the Japanese invasion and World War II, it picked up again once Japan was defeated. Mao Zedong and the Communist Peoples Liberation Army won the Chinese Civil War, and China became the Peoples Republic of China in 1949. Chiang Kai Shek, leader of the losing Nationalist forces, fled to Taiwan.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Transnational Movements and Ideologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Transnational Movements and Ideologies - Essay Example Civil unrest and internal conflicts threatens the calm in most Arab countries such as Syria, Egypt owing to disunity exerted by the activities of the Islamic movements, each of the Arab nations comprise of different ethnic and cultural values with unique tribal makeup. Each of these tribes has different preferences with regard to governance and community demands. As such, the groups form movements with unique goals and objectives regardless of the ideology adopted. The goals range from demand for various social freedoms such as speech, religion among others to national recognition. Most are the times that the movements are at war with each other following differences that emerge over supremacy. The major concern lies with the tension created among citizens resulting in clashes within the Arab states. The high levels of polarisation in the countries have seen loss of lives, destruction of property among other social and economic consequences. Civil unrest has been demonstrated in vari ous Arab countries such as Egypt, Libya, Syria following the wide spread Arab uprising. For instance, Syria is entangled in a civil war from January to April 2012 after mass protests seeking to establish political reforms. The evolution of Islam to a political front has seen growing radicalisation and extremism among the masses calling for reforms. This has been seen as the democratisation of the Arab world, which has deepened erosion of governance triggering the aforementioned Arab uprisings. These creates a concern among Arab states on the role of religion in politics and in an effort to separate the two, rifts emerge among those seeking to maintain the status quo and those seeking reforms. As such, the governance by the elite is threatened by the notion of a harmonious existence of Islam and democracy, which has seen different reactions to the same (Rubin 412). For instance, the government Turkey has been in the forefront to promote tolerance and address socio-economic issues such as unemployment. This is seen as a move to curb the radicalisation of transnational movements and the proliferation of related ideologies in the country. The extent of radicalisation, organisation, and funding of the transnational movements may see calls for independence. This is especially so with political groups that set up military organisation to assert their control over a region. As such, the affected country is faced with calls for cessation and recognition of independence of the regi on failure to which, rebellion and violence may result. The onset of the 2012 Tuareg Rebellion in Mali sought to emulate the Arab uprising, but resulted in a coup d'etat in March 2012 (BBC). The conflict has seen the rebel group declare independence from Mali and demand recognition in spite of rejection by the African Union and the European Union. This has seen sustained conflicts in the affected countries, and should independence be granted; other movements may emerge to claim
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